Director, Innovation and New Product Development

Vitro Automotive Glass produces advanced glass products for the world’s most well-known automotive manufacturers. We work collaboratively with our customers to ensure that our glass provides the safety, comfort, efficiency required for today’s modern vehicles.

Vitro Automotive Glass operates glass manufacturing plants, fabrication facilities and distribution centers worldwide that are solely focused on the production of automotive glass. This scale allows us to provide the quality and technology required for large volume OEM production, while bringing that same attention to detail and quality to our automotive replacement glass (ARG) operations.

As the needs of the automotive industry rapidly evolve, Vitro stays ahead of the curve to help automakers, distributors and installers meet the ever-changing standards for safety, efficiency and sustainability. It’s not enough just to meet specifications. We are committed to working collaboratively to deliver whatever comes next.

Responsibilities

The Director, Innovation and New Product Development is responsible for:

• Create a commercialized differentiated product portfolio delivering superior customer value
• Develop and/or optimize processes for producing new products at the lowest cost possible,
• Transfer new product technology to manufacturing
• Provide technical services and support for new products to Vitro’s customers, OEM and ARG sales and global manufacturing.
• Act as the key customer contact for innovation supporting customer technical presentations
• Perform market development activity, on an as needed basis, to generate demand and accelerate the commercialization schedule for new products, including the development of value propositions for new Technologies
• Liaison between Automotive and Architectural R+D/Coating functions
• Lead and develop the vision, strategy, for the innovation funnel (NP2)
• Lead the growth and maturation of the Projects to support NP2
• Industrialization and bid ready status for new technologies
• Coach/Develop R+D team (direct reports)
• Develop and manage departmental budget/spending
  
  

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree of Engineering/Science required
• +10 years of experience in an Innovation/Engineering field
• English speaking required, Spanish speaking is a plus
  
  

The occupant must have the following Knowledge:

• Innovation Management or Project Management
• Broad technical background, including
• Optics,
• Electronics,
• Thermodynamics and mechanics of glass and associated systems.
• Overall business acumen sufficient to justify new products, processes, or value-added functions.
  
  

Must also have the following Skills:

• Problem solving and profound analysis ability,
• Strategic thinking, focus on results
• Management skills (effective presentations, time management & persuasive communication)
• Ability to influence different levels in the organization and manage timelines.